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Rumours of takeover/investment interest

eling-saint

By eling-saint,
in The Saints

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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted (edited)
Very poor.

 

Too early in the day?

 

2/10.

Aye, it wasn't one of his best, was it? Bit disappointing given his recent run of excellent form. Hope this is a temporary dip rather than an indication of things to come.

 

P.s. good news that Lander are out of the picture. Had bad vibes about their credentials. We're not Pompey, who are prepared to accept a bid from any Tom, D i c k or Goofy...

Edited by trousers
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Dusic

Dusic

Posted
Posted
We're lucky to have such good owners

Absolutely. But also worth noting that she is obviously looking to sell when the deal is right.

 

Its important a club has an owner who wants to own the club. Numerous examples of clubs that have quickly declined once the owner is looling to sell and cannot find the right buyer.

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Shroppie

Shroppie

Posted
Posted
Absolutely. But also worth noting that she is obviously looking to sell when the deal is right.

 

Its important a club has an owner who wants to own the club. Numerous examples of clubs that have quickly declined once the owner is looling to sell and cannot find the right buyer.

I've understood that she's not looking to sell out completely but is looking to relinquish a share in return for investment and expertise to develop the club's indirect activities, thus boosting revenue.

 

This is needed to meet FFP regulations and necessary if we are to progress to a higher level.

 

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Posted
Posted
Personally, I'm happy enough with the billionaire owner we already have.

 

Absolutely, bear in mind plenty of other clubs have been where we are and seen it all go to pot. In the last 15 years Blackburn, Bolton, Boro, Fulham, Newcastle, West Ham and Wigan have all managed a season or two of top half / cup final / European run and been relegated. We're on for 4 straight top half finishes, which is no small achievement, and everything in place to make it 5 next year.

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ericb

ericb

Posted
Posted

Not convinced it's the great news many think. It's clearly obvious Katrina thinks we need investment to progress and it's now hugely likely we'll sell VVD too. Of course for many people it's better the devil you know but i do wonder if not getting a sale might mean we regress in the long run.

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pluto

pluto

Posted
Posted
That might seal VVDs exit. Imagine Reed will stay on too? Or is he planning on retiring? Any ITKs know his plans?

 

Imagine Kat is annoyed

 

Only if he wants to leave, we dont force players out the door chump

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CB Fry

CB Fry

Posted
Posted
Not convinced it's the great news many think. It's clearly obvious Katrina thinks we need investment to progress and it's now hugely likely we'll sell VVD too. Of course for many people it's better the devil you know but i do wonder if not getting a sale might mean we regress in the long run.

Not sure what your idea of "progression/regression" is. We are at the level we can be. Sometimes we might finish 6th, sometimes we might finish 14th.

 

In extremes we could win the league/top 4 or get relegated/nearly get relegated.

 

I genuinely don't think there are any investors anywhere who are going to change that. Our next owners will not turn us into Manchester City and quite frankly that's perfect for me. We will carry on being mid table Premier League club.

 

I'd suggest that as much as anything Katharina thinks she has secured her father's legacy and is happy to hand over the grief of running a football club to someone else. It's not some desperate plea for cash.

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shurlock

shurlock

Posted
Posted (edited)
Not convinced it's the great news many think. It's clearly obvious Katrina thinks we need investment to progress and it's now hugely likely we'll sell VVD too. Of course for many people it's better the devil you know but i do wonder if not getting a sale might mean we regress in the long run.

 

Agree.

 

The earlier Times article pretty much summed up KL's position: we need additional investment to cement our position as a top-ten Premier League club.

 

Open question is whether this summer will be business as usual i.e. transfers funded by player sales and minimal spending on top of that or whether KL will retrench even further.

Edited by shurlock
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Shance

Shance

Posted
Posted
Not convinced it's the great news many think. It's clearly obvious Katrina thinks we need investment to progress and it's now hugely likely we'll sell VVD too. Of course for many people it's better the devil you know but i do wonder if not getting a sale might mean we regress in the long run.

 

Maybe we do need investment, maybe she is looking to sell, i'm just glad it's not to Lander as they didn't have the money.

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Wes Tender

Wes Tender

Posted
Posted
Not sure what your idea of "progression/regression" is. We are at the level we can be. Sometimes we might finish 6th, sometimes we might finish 14th.

 

In extremes we could win the league/top 4 or get relegated/nearly get relegated.

 

I genuinely don't think there are any investors anywhere who are going to change that. Our next owners will not turn us into Manchester City and quite frankly that's perfect for me. We will carry on being mid table Premier League club.

 

I'd suggest that as much as anything Katharina thinks she has secured her father's legacy and is happy to hand over the grief of running a football club to someone else. It's not some desperate plea for cash.

 

/\ This

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positivepete

positivepete

Posted
Posted
Basically unless a new owner us an Arab sheikh or Russian energy baron with vastly more cash then he knows what to do with I'd rather stick.

 

The ones with more money who don't know what they are doing are indeed the biggest problem. You cant always trust the groups who should know what they are doing, such as SISU, who had an ex footballer as their guide, but whose end game was more to extract value than build it. The truth is that the only time we will know if they are any good will be when they have run the club for a season or two.

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larry12

larry12

Posted
Posted
Personally, I'm happy enough with the billionaire owner we already have.

 

There is no evidence on the internet to suggest she is a billionaire. She isn't on the Board of Liebherr or Mali groups, and might "only" have shares in either or both.

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SKD

SKD

Posted
Posted
There is no evidence on the internet to suggest she is a billionaire. She isn't on the Board of Liebherr or Mali groups, and might "only" have shares in either or both.

 

Irrelevant how much money she has if she's not willing to invest anymore of it....

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verlaine1979

verlaine1979

Posted
Posted
Irrelevant how much money she has if she's not willing to invest anymore of it....

 

Well, football these days is a game for billionaire owners. If, as seems likely, she's only got a few hundred million squirrelled away at most, then it would explain why she's not pumping in multiple tens of millions every transfer window.

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RobM

RobM

Posted
Posted

It's not a game for billionaire individuals though. FFP means an owner can't simply pump cash into a club, they have to structure it through sponsorship and other commercial deals. You therefore need a billionaire owner who also owns one or more billionaire-value companies, who can justify crazy sums of money in OTT sponsorship deals through that company.

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SuperSAINT

SuperSAINT

Posted
Posted (edited)
China's Lander reaffirms intention to invest in UK soccer club

 

China's Lander Holding Group on Tuesday reaffirmed its intention to invest in Southampton Football Club's parent company. It was responding to reports that it was dropping the deal.

 

China's Lander reaffirms intention to invest in UK soccer club

 

China's Lander Holding Group on Tuesday reaffirmed its intention to invest in Southampton Football Club's parent company. It was responding to reports that it was dropping the deal.

 

The announcement was the latest move in a wave of Chinese investor activity involving top-flight European soccer clubs.

 

Earlier this month, China's Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux successfully concluded a lengthy bidding process by acquiring AC Milan from its owner, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, for 740 million euros ($787 million), including debt.

 

The purchase means two of the biggest clubs in Italy's Serie A - AC Milan and rivals Inter Milan - are under Chinese ownership.

 

In the UK, leading clubs Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, and Wolverhampton Wanders are all Chinese owned. Birmingham City was acquired last year by a group of Hong Kong-based investors.

 

Lander, a Shanghai-based private-sector conglomerate, started discussions last year with Southampton's holding company, St. Mary's Football Group, with the intention of buying an 80 percent stake through Lander subsidiary Lander Sports Development.

 

Last Sunday, Lander Sports issued a statement, saying it was terminating plans to invest in St. Mary's Football Group. The statement cited uncertainty following changes in China's securities market and relevant policies. Various media outlets interpreted the statement as evidence that the deal was dead.

 

But Lander Holding Group has since said it intends to see the deal go forward, but that it will involve the unlisted parent company directly, and not be done through the subsidiary. Lander has refused to issue additional comments.

 

The value of the deal, and its timeline, are not known.

 

Southampton's holding company is owned by Katharina Liebherr, who inherited the club from her father after his death in 2010. In January, she said "any steps we do take will be in the best interests of the club".

 

Referring to the partnership with Lander, Liebherr said: "The Premier League is increasingly competitive; we need to keep moving forward and look to new markets for commercial growth, innovation and to share our journey. Together, we have had many years of progression and success, and ensuring this continues is the main focus of any possible partnership."

 

Southampton currently lies ninth in the English Premier League.

 

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2017-04/18/content_28982895.htm

Edited by SuperSAINT
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CB Fry

CB Fry

Posted
Posted
Not good news. If Kat is stuck with an unsaleable asset but wishes to diversify her investments portfolio she might be tempted to do what the Glazers did to Man U by refinancing the club through debt and we all know where that could lead.

Jesus wept.

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pluto

pluto

Posted
Posted
Not good news. If Kat is stuck with an unsaleable asset but wishes to diversify her investments portfolio she might be tempted to do what the Glazers did to Man U by refinancing the club through debt and we all know where that could lead.

 

LOL the best one ive read today

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St_Tel49

St_Tel49

Posted
Posted
Not good news. If Kat is stuck with an unsaleable asset but wishes to diversify her investments portfolio she might be tempted to do what the Glazers did to Man U by refinancing the club through debt and we all know where that could lead.

 

Wild speculation based on nothing at all. :rolleyes:

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SKD

SKD

Posted
Posted (edited)
Further interest from China as well as Hong Kong .........................

 

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2017/04/19/southamptons-210m-sale-chinese-investors-group/

 

Blackbridge has advised on a number of Chinese investments in English football in both the Premier League and the Championship. Its advisory has included work with Suning, Fosun, Dalian Wanda and CITIC.

 

Ahhh they return.....

 

2+2 = 5 but could this mean the return of the little man :suspicious:

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/southampton-takeover-chinese-billionaire-wang-3036588

Edited by SKD
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Saint86

Saint86

Posted
Posted

From - http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2017/04/19/southamptons-210m-sale-chinese-investors-group/

 

By Paul Nicholson

 

April 19 – The news that Lander Sports had pulled out of the £210 million+ acquisition of Premier League Southampton was premature. Even if Lander fail to raise the cash to complete the sale, a second, as yet unnamed, bidder from China is waiting in the wings and has the money ready to proceed.

 

 

The Gao family, majority owners of Lander, are actively trying to raise the capital for the acquisition across China, where Lander is listed on the stock exchange, but time is running out on their exclusivity to complete the first stage of the purchase.

 

A deal was signed with Saints owner Katarina Liebherr on 11 November 2016 that gave Lander an exclusive six months to complete the acquisition of 80% of the shares.

 

With the deadline approaching, Lander announced to the stock exchange that it was unable to announce a major asset restructuring of the company because it had not completed the Saints deal – something the Gao family are still scrambling to achieve.

 

However, the prospect of a sale is still live and is looking increasingly likely with other investors waiting for Lander’s exclusivity to end next month. That will enable a new suitor to come in for the club with sources telling Insideworldfootball that a deal could be done within two months and in time for the start of the 2017/18 season.

 

Alexander Jarvis, chairman of Blackbridge Cross Borders, a financial advisory firm specialising in sports deals and with a strong focus on Chinese football investment via its sports division, confirmed that should Lander fail to complete the deal then the Chinese investor appetite for Southampton is still very strong.

 

Jarvis would not name interested parties but said there is Hong Kong investment aside from Lander that has the money available and is in position to buy the club. Furthermore the alternative investors are able act quickly.

 

The sale price would be around the £210 million mark but could rise to £225 million.

 

Blackbridge has advised on a number of Chinese investments in English football in both the Premier League and the Championship. Its advisory has included work with Suning, Fosun, Dalian Wanda and CITIC.

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charliemiller

charliemiller

Posted
Posted

Wang Jialin would be the perfect chinese buyer .......to support the story most of his funds are deposited in Hong Kong , so maybe Wanda is the interested other interested chinese party ...plus the USA one .

 

Wang Jialin on the latest list is worth in excess of 20 billion

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Cartman

Cartman

Posted
Posted
Wang Jialin would be the perfect chinese buyer .......to support the story most of his funds are deposited in Hong Kong , so maybe Wanda is the interested other interested chinese party ...plus the USA one .

 

Wang Jialin on the latest list is worth in excess of 20 billion

 

Reuters said Wang Wenyin, owner of Amer International and 6th on the rich list, was one of the other interested parties.

 

https://www.forbes.com/china-billionaires/list/#tab:overall

 

Amer International are headquartered and operate six industrial parks in Shenzhen, which is just across the border from Hong Kong. Wang Wenyin is also a Shenzhen resident.

 

That said, the other company Reuters liked us with, CITIC Securities, are also headquartered in Shenzhen and are listed on the HK stock exchange.

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Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

Posted
Posted
From - http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2017/04/19/southamptons-210m-sale-chinese-investors-group/

 

By Paul Nicholson

 

April 19 – The news that Lander Sports had pulled out of the £210 million+ acquisition of Premier League Southampton was premature. Even if Lander fail to raise the cash to complete the sale, a second, as yet unnamed, bidder from China is waiting in the wings and has the money ready to proceed.

 

 

The Gao family, majority owners of Lander, are actively trying to raise the capital for the acquisition across China, where Lander is listed on the stock exchange, but time is running out on their exclusivity to complete the first stage of the purchase.

 

A deal was signed with Saints owner Katarina Liebherr on 11 November 2016 that gave Lander an exclusive six months to complete the acquisition of 80% of the shares.

 

With the deadline approaching, Lander announced to the stock exchange that it was unable to announce a major asset restructuring of the company because it had not completed the Saints deal – something the Gao family are still scrambling to achieve.

 

However, the prospect of a sale is still live and is looking increasingly likely with other investors waiting for Lander’s exclusivity to end next month. That will enable a new suitor to come in for the club with sources telling Insideworldfootball that a deal could be done within two months and in time for the start of the 2017/18 season.

 

Alexander Jarvis, chairman of Blackbridge Cross Borders, a financial advisory firm specialising in sports deals and with a strong focus on Chinese football investment via its sports division, confirmed that should Lander fail to complete the deal then the Chinese investor appetite for Southampton is still very strong.

 

Jarvis would not name interested parties but said there is Hong Kong investment aside from Lander that has the money available and is in position to buy the club. Furthermore the alternative investors are able act quickly.

 

The sale price would be around the £210 million mark but could rise to £225 million.

 

Blackbridge has advised on a number of Chinese investments in English football in both the Premier League and the Championship. Its advisory has included work with Suning, Fosun, Dalian Wanda and CITIC.

 

I think it is possibly a one man company and relatively smalltime...

 

22vl6tlNn
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verlaine1979

verlaine1979

Posted
Posted
So it's back on and they are still trying to raise funds. They really don't seem like the type of owner a PL club needs.

 

Scrabbling around to raise funds just to complete the purchase doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for stable ownership. Especially as 'raise funds' is probably just another way of saying 'take on debt'.

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shurlock

shurlock

Posted
Posted
Scrabbling around to raise funds just to complete the purchase doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for stable ownership. Especially as 'raise funds' is probably just another way of saying 'take on debt'.

 

Wonder whether KL is thinking the same thing.

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Badger

Badger

Posted
Posted
The rumour I heard from a decent source was originally there were 3 consortiums in the chase. 2 x Chinese and 1 x US. Kat won't do a deal unless it is beneficial to Saints. Also it was always going to be a minority takeover.

 

Wasn't there recent talk somewhere that Saints had leaked the Landers bid to accelerate the preferred US deal?

 

 

Yes to both, although it was probably only on here.

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